Common questions, direct answers.

Polar Tint's 2026 FDD estimates the total initial investment for a single-unit franchise in FDD Item 7. The estimate includes the initial franchise fee, three months of rent and utilities, leasehold improvements, design and architect fees, grand opening marketing, furniture, fixtures and equipment, opening inventory, a point-of-sale and back-office system, professional fees, signage, insurance, training travel, and about three months of additional funds.

It is an estimate, and the Item 7 notes list what it leaves out, such as interest and financing charges and any salary or draw for the owners.

Ongoing royalty is paid weekly on gross sales. The Brand Marketing Fund Contribution goes to the Brand Marketing Fund, which Polar Tint administers (FDD Items 6 and 11). A monthly technology fee covers the designated technology package (website, marketing portal, Google Workspace, accounting, and plotter software). Local marketing is a percentage of gross or a weekly floor, whichever is greater.

FDD Item 6 lists these and Polar Tint's other fees, and FDD Item 11 also discloses point-of-sale and computer-system costs, including system maintenance and required software license fees.

The term length and renewal requirements are set out in FDD Item 17, and the term is renewable only if you meet Polar Tint's conditions for renewal.

The total initial investment range disclosed in FDD Item 7 already includes about three months of additional funds for the start-up phase, which exclude any salary or draw for the owners (Item 7, Note 11). Beyond that, lenders typically want to see additional personal liquidity (equity injection plus reserves) before they fund an SBA 7(a) loan, and each lender sets its own requirements.

Polar Tint does not state a break-even point or payback period on this site. Timing depends on your market, marketing execution, and lease costs.

Financial performance representations are disclosed in FDD Item 19, which covers the two affiliate-owned Las Vegas-area shops. Polar Tint makes no financial performance representation outside the FDD. Review the full FDD with your own accountant or franchise attorney.

Yes. You can fund the investment with cash instead of borrowing. SBA 7(a) loans are a common alternative for franchise buyers because they let the buyer inject a portion of the project cost as equity instead of the full amount, preserving more cash for working capital. Polar Tint does not offer direct or indirect financing (FDD Item 10).

A new Polar Tint opening can generate year-one deductions such as:

• Bonus depreciation or Section 179 on equipment
• SBA loan interest
• Rent and operating costs
• Franchise-fee amortization (Section 197)

Yes — a 25% reduction on the initial franchise fee for honorably discharged veterans and first responders (FDD Item 5). SBA fee relief, if any, is set by the SBA and the lender, not by Polar Tint.

Yes. Polar Tint is a franchise offered with a 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) under the FTC Franchise Rule. The franchisor is Polar Tint LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, and the brand is listed on the SBA Franchise Directory, so qualified buyers can apply for SBA 7(a) financing through a lender; the listing is not an SBA endorsement of the brand.

Under the FTC Franchise Rule, you must receive the FDD at least 14 calendar days before you sign a binding agreement with, or make any payment to, Polar Tint or an affiliate.

The franchisor is Polar Tint LLC, which has no parent company (FDD Item 1). The franchise is led by an operator-built leadership team — a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. Two affiliated companies complete the model:

• Glacier Manufacturing — the affiliated manufacturer (supplier terms in FDD Item 8)
• Frostbite Marketing — the affiliate that provides marketing services, including grand opening and local marketing (FDD Items 1, 5 and 6)

It is a franchise, offered with a 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) under the FTC Franchise Rule. Polar Tint LLC does three things a business opportunity does not:

• Issues a formal 2026 FDD
• Grants each franchisee a protected Designated Territory under a written franchise agreement
• Is listed in the SBA Franchise Directory (not an SBA endorsement)

Several ways exist:

• Request the 2026 FDD and review Items 1 through 23 — especially the Item 19 financial performance representations and the Item 20 outlet history
• Confirm the listing in the SBA Franchise Directory (not an SBA endorsement)
• Review the public entity record on Wikidata
• Contact the franchisee listed in FDD Exhibit F. You can also talk with the two company-owned shops, which are owned by a Polar Tint affiliate and are part of the franchisor’s organization. Ask anyone you speak with about their relationship to Polar Tint and its principals, and weigh what you hear accordingly.

Six: automotive window tint, residential window film, commercial window film, ceramic coating, paint protection film (PPF), and vehicle wraps and graphics. Window tint is the core automotive service; PPF and ceramic coating are protection services that can be offered alongside a tint visit; residential and commercial film extend the shop beyond the auto bay.

Franchisees buy window film, application tools and other designated shop items from affiliated manufacturer Glacier Manufacturing, currently the exclusive supplier of those items under FDD Item 8.

It depends on your labor model and your shop: you can install alongside your technicians, or hire a full installer crew (W2 or commission) with front-desk or scheduling support. Training staff and choosing ideal employees or contractors is one of the initial training subjects (FDD Item 11).

No. Running a full W2 or commission installer crew without installing personally is a legitimate labor model, not a shortcut around ownership. It is a different question from being absentee, though: an Operations Manager can run day-to-day on-site operations (FDD Item 15), but the Franchise Agreement (§7.13) requires the owner's, or Managing Owner's, active, continuing and substantial personal involvement and hands-on supervision at all times.

Owner-operators who install alongside their technicians do more of the install work themselves; owners who staff a full crew trade that hands-on work for time. Either works — the choice is about labor model, not about how present you need to be.

A typical day runs from opening prep through booked appointments across tint, ceramic and PPF, plus walk-in quotes. Demand varies by market and season; FDD Item 1 notes that sales can be seasonal in the wintertime depending on your area. Polar Tint does not publish day-of-week volume figures.

Polar Tint specifies hours of operation in the Operations Manual, and a franchisee can apply for a variance on certain days (Franchise Agreement §3.14). Weekend availability serves customers who can't make weekday appointments. Polar Tint does not publish how hours affect a shop's volume.

The Franchise Agreement (§3.1) calls for a retail location that Polar Tint approves, and FDD Item 7 (Note 3) bases its leasehold-improvement estimate on a typical Franchised Business of 2,000–2,500 square feet.

You select the site and pay to locate and evaluate it; Polar Tint provides site selection guidelines and approves the site against factors such as population density, demographics, traffic patterns, parking, building structures, visibility, available sign locations, and proximity to other Polar Tint businesses and competitors (FDD Item 11).

65 total hours over an approximate one-week period — 40 classroom hours and 25 on-the-job hours, delivered at our Henderson, NV HQ, virtually, or another location we designate (FDD Item 11). Item 11 describes the hours as estimates that depend on your experience in the tinting and franchise industries, job history, and business acumen, and training must be completed before you open.

The FDD lists no prior automotive or window tint industry-experience requirement, and Polar Tint offers franchises to applicants who meet its then-current standards and qualifications (FDD Item 1). Initial training is 65 hours (40 classroom + 25 on-the-job, FDD Item 11) on subjects from shop setup, equipment, and technology to sales, office, marketing, and safety procedures, and Item 11 notes the hours depend on your experience.

Affiliated manufacturer Glacier Manufacturing supplies window tint and paint protection training and related training materials with the opening inventory (FDD Item 5).

Every Polar Tint franchisee receives a Designated Territory, mapped and written into Schedule 1 of the Franchise Agreement (FDD Item 12). It is not an exclusive territory. While your agreement is in effect and you are not in default, Polar Tint will not open or franchise another Polar Tint location inside it, subject to the rights Polar Tint reserves in Item 12.

Within limits. While your franchise agreement is in effect and you are not in default, Polar Tint will not open, or let another franchisee open, a Polar Tint franchise inside your Designated Territory. The territory is not exclusive: Polar Tint reserves rights inside it, including franchises at non-traditional sites such as airports, hotels, and college campuses, and sales through other channels.

Polar Tint shops can also open anywhere outside your boundary. The territory rules are documented in Item 12 of the FDD.

No. Under FDD Item 12, a franchise agreement grants no option, right of first refusal, or similar right to acquire additional franchises. To add a location, you sign a new franchise agreement (on its own or under a Multi-Unit Development Agreement) and must meet Polar Tint's then-current requirements; approval is based on the then-current site and territory criteria.

Yes. You select the site and cover the cost of locating and evaluating it. Polar Tint provides site selection guidelines and must approve your proposed site. It will make that decision within 30 days of receiving your written request and any information it asks for, weighing factors such as population density, traffic patterns, visibility and proximity to other Polar Tint businesses (FDD Item 11).

Polar Tint may also review the lease terms and require your landlord to sign its Lease Agreement Rider. The Approved Location must be within your Designated Territory.

Larger metros can hold more than one Designated Territory, because a typical Designated Territory is the lesser of a population count and a radius (FDD Item 12). If a specific area is already awarded, the development team can walk you through other open areas; Polar Tint approves each site and territory against its then-current criteria. Request info with your target city and the development team will confirm what's open.

Yes, with Polar Tint's approval. Each shop needs its own franchise agreement, and a Multi-Unit Development Agreement sets a development schedule for a defined Development Area (FDD Items 1, 5 and 12). Each Designated Territory is set around its own approved site.

Polar Tint's 2026 FDD includes Item 19 financial performance representations for fiscal year 2025, covering the two affiliate-owned Polar Tint shops in the Las Vegas area (Summerlin and Henderson). The figures appear only in Item 19 of the FDD; this site does not publish them.

Polar Tint is listed on the SBA Franchise Directory (the listing is not an SBA endorsement), so qualified buyers can apply for SBA 7(a) financing through a lender. Polar Tint does not provide financing (FDD Item 10).

5-minute online application, 24-hour response, 30-45 minute discovery call with Polar Tint development, FDD delivery (legally requires a 14-day minimum review period before signing), a reference call with the franchisee listed in FDD Item 20 and Exhibit F, optional HQ visit. Total elapsed time from initial application to franchise agreement signing depends mostly on the candidate's FDD review and financing.

Yes, if Polar Tint grants the conversion. If you currently own an auto tint shop and Polar Tint grants you the right to convert it, you pay a reduced initial franchise fee, a substantial reduction off the new-unit fee (FDD Item 5; Franchise Agreement §5.1). Converters keep their location, team, and customer base, and they gain the brand, the supplier terms disclosed in FDD Item 8, and the operations playbook.

Yes, with Polar Tint's approval. Each added shop needs its own franchise agreement, signed on its own or under a Multi-Unit Development Agreement, which sets a development schedule for a defined Development Area and a development fee for each additional unit (FDD Items 5 and 12). The two-unit investment range is disclosed in FDD Item 7.

Yes, with Polar Tint's prior written consent, which it may grant or withhold (FDD Item 17). The conditions include written notice, no defaults, a general release, the buyer agreeing to the franchise agreement with owner guarantees, the buyer completing Polar Tint's initial training at the buyer's expense, and payment of the transfer fee (FDD Item 6). Polar Tint also has a right of first refusal to match any offer.

Polar Tint makes no representation about what a franchise would sell for, and its FDD reports no franchise transfers through 2025 (Item 20).

The FDD does not predict what would happen to franchisees if Polar Tint LLC stopped operating. It does say that Polar Tint may assign the franchise agreement, or sell its assets, the Marks, or the System, without the franchisee's consent (FDD Item 17; Franchise Agreement §14.1), so another company could take over the franchisor's obligations.

Glacier Manufacturing, the affiliated manufacturer franchisees buy from (FDD Item 8), is a separate company (FDD Item 1). The affiliate-owned Las Vegas shops behind Polar Tint have operated since 2015 (as Pro Tint USA) and were rebranded to Polar Tint in 2024; Polar Tint LLC was formed in 2024 and began franchising in 2025 (FDD Item 1).

Polar Tint LLC's audited financial statements are in FDD Item 21 (Exhibit C); review this risk with a franchise attorney.

Two structural differences. (1) Service stack: Polar Tint shops run six service lines from day one. (2) Term: Polar Tint's initial term is renewable if you meet its conditions for renewal, with the term and renewal requirements set out in FDD Item 17; each competitor's term is disclosed in Item 17 of its own FDD. See our full vs Tint World, vs Turbo Tint comparisons for the table-format breakdowns.

It depends on your experience, capital, and goals. Independents save the franchise fees up front but build a brand from scratch and don't get the operating playbook. Weigh both paths with your own advisors; for Polar Tint, start with the FDD Item 7 investment estimate and review the full FDD. First-time business owners with strong personal capital sometimes pick independent and accept the higher learning curve.

Mobile tinting opens for a lower upfront cost, and it is a single-operator, weather-dependent setup. A Polar Tint storefront carries a higher build-out, and it adds room for parallel jobs, premium services, and an indoor, controlled work environment. Polar Tint makes no earnings comparison between the two.

No. FDD Item 15 lets you hire a trained Operations Manager to supervise and manage day-to-day on-site operations, and Polar Tint recommends that the owner, or Managing Owner, personally take part in day-to-day management and on-site supervision. The Franchise Agreement (§7.13) still requires the owner's, or Managing Owner's, active, continuing and substantial personal involvement and hands-on supervision at all times, with no point after opening when that requirement ends. Polar Tint is not an absentee or passive investment.

In the FDD. Polar Tint's pre-opening, opening, and ongoing support obligations are described in FDD Item 11.

SBA 7(a) lenders set their own credit-score and debt-to-income thresholds, and look for demonstrable industry-adjacent business experience or strong relevant operating history. Cash buyers face fewer financial filters but still go through Polar Tint's background and operating-fit check. The financial qualification is the easier hurdle — the operating-fit conversation tends to be more determinative.

Apply at polartintfranchise.com/apply — a 5-minute form covers contact info, target market, available capital, and prior franchise / business experience. We respond within one business day for qualified applicants. From there: discovery call, FDD delivery, a validation call with the franchisee listed in FDD Item 20 and Exhibit F, and signing; timing depends mostly on your FDD review and financing.

Opening timelines vary by build-out scope, equipment lead times, and local permitting. Polar Tint does not represent a specific day-count timeline on this site — your development contact can walk through realistic ranges for your market. Operator training (65 hours — 40 classroom plus 25 on-the-job, per FDD Item 11) runs in parallel. Faster timelines are possible for conversions of existing tint shops.

The prequalification call covers your operator background, capital position, timeline, target market, and any FDD questions. If both sides want to proceed, we send the FDD package promptly.

A franchisor must update its FDD within 120 days after the close of each fiscal year (FTC Franchise Rule, 16 CFR 436.7). The FTC does not register or accept filings of FDDs; some states require registration or filing before a franchisor offers franchises there. Polar Tint's current FDD was issued April 28, 2026, and amended June 4, 2026.

Expect a meaningful equity injection as a down payment, with the SBA loan covering the rest — an SBA lender can quote the exact percentage for your file. Most lenders also like to see additional liquid capital in post-close reserves. The total project cost is the FDD Item 7 range.

Expect a meaningful equity injection as a down payment, with the SBA loan covering the rest — an SBA lender can quote the exact percentage for your file. 100% financing is not typical for franchise startups.

The equity injection can come from personal savings, a retirement-account rollover (ROBS) set up under IRS and Department of Labor rules, or a family gift documented as a true gift, not a loan; whether borrowed funds such as a HELOC can count toward it is set by SBA rules and your lender.

It can affect timing: FDD Item 11 lists obtaining third-party lender financing as a variable in time to open, and SBA loan approval timelines vary by lender and borrower file. Polar Tint does not publish a specific financing-to-opening timeline on this site; ask your development contact and lender for a realistic estimate.

Yes. A ROBS structure can fund all or part of the equity injection with eligible 401(k) or IRA funds, without an early-withdrawal penalty when it is set up and maintained under IRS and Department of Labor rules. Guidant Financial and Benetrends are two well-known ROBS providers that work with franchise buyers. Talk to a CPA before committing to a ROBS structure.

As a Designated Territory mapped around your shop and typically sized as described in FDD Item 12 (a population-and-radius cap, the lesser of the two). Denser metros get more compact zones; suburban and rural markets get larger ones. The territory is mapped and written into Schedule 1 of your franchise agreement.

The development team will show you an availability map for your metro and suggest nearby open areas. Larger metros can hold more than one Designated Territory because a typical Designated Territory is the lesser of a population count and a radius (FDD Item 12). If a specific area is already awarded, the team can walk you through other open areas; Polar Tint approves each site and territory against its then-current criteria (FDD Item 12).

Not by right. Your Designated Territory is set when Polar Tint approves your site, and the franchise agreement grants no option or right of first refusal on additional franchises (FDD Item 12). To grow, you sign a new franchise agreement for another location, on its own or under a Multi-Unit Development Agreement, subject to Polar Tint's then-current site and territory criteria. If you're building toward a second shop, raise it with the development team early.

Within limits — while your agreement is in effect and you are not in default, Polar Tint will not open, or let another franchisee open, a Polar Tint franchise inside your Designated Territory. It is not an exclusive territory: Polar Tint reserves rights inside it, including franchises at non-traditional sites and sales through other channels (FDD Item 12).

Customers from outside can still come to your shop, but you can't market or solicit outside your territory without Polar Tint's written approval, except in approved advertising promotions.

No. The shop must be managed and supervised on-site at all times, but that can be you (or your Managing Owner) or a trained Operations Manager (FDD Item 15). The Franchise Agreement (§7.13) still requires your, or your Managing Owner's, active, continuing and substantial personal involvement and hands-on supervision at all times, so Polar Tint is not an absentee or passive investment at any stage.

Staffing scales with demand: many operators plan for themselves plus a lead installer, adding a helper and further staff as booking volume and their shop's footprint (one bay or more, depending on your location) support it. Polar Tint does not represent a specific staffing timeline or ticket-volume figure on this site.

Polar Tint does not represent a specific ticket-volume or ramp figure on this site, and results vary by market, site, costs, and how the business is run. Grand opening marketing through affiliate Frostbite Marketing begins before you open (FDD Item 5), and Frostbite provides local marketing, advertising, and promotion for your shop, funded by your local marketing fee (FDD Items 6 and 11).

You sell them all. You must offer and sell all the Approved Services and Products Polar Tint specifies and may not sell services it has not authorized (FDD Item 16), so a Polar Tint shop runs all six lines: window tint, PPF, ceramic, commercial, residential, and wraps.

Initial training covers the subjects FDD Item 11 lists and is completed before you open, and affiliated manufacturer Glacier Manufacturing provides window tint and paint protection training and related training materials as part of the opening inventory (FDD Item 5).

Per FDD Item 11, training is delivered at our Henderson, NV HQ, virtually, or another location we designate. The initial program is 65 hours total — 40 classroom hours plus 25 on-the-job hours — over an approximate one-week period. Travel and lodging during any in-person portion are budgeted into FDD Item 7.

The franchisee (owner-operator) must attend. We strongly recommend bringing your lead installer too — the hands-on experience during the on-the-job training block gives your lead installer a head start on Polar Tint's install standards.

Polar Tint's pre-opening, opening, and ongoing support obligations are described in FDD Item 11. Local marketing services are provided through affiliate Frostbite Marketing.

Gross sales. Polar Tint royalty is on weekly gross. There is no minimum royalty — if a week is light, royalty scales with it. Royalty pays via ACH on a weekly cycle.

Item 6 lists the recurring fees: royalty, Brand Marketing Fund Contribution, technology fee, and local marketing minimum. Item 11 also discloses point-of-sale and computer-system costs, including system maintenance and required software license fees, and Item 7 estimates the initial investment, including one-time pre-opening costs and about three months of additional funds for the start-up phase (Item 7, Note 11). Beyond those, expect normal operating costs: rent, payroll, insurance, utilities, COGS — standard for any small-business operator.

It protects you and the brand. The local-marketing minimum (disclosed in FDD Item 6) sets a floor so every territory gets consistent marketing investment from day one. Polar Tint does not represent a specific revenue or ramp outcome tied to that spend level on this site.

The fee is paid to affiliate Frostbite Marketing, which provides local marketing, advertising, and promotion for your shop; that spend may go to local online and digital marketing in your area (FDD Items 6 and 11).

Not in place of it. Every franchisee pays the local marketing fee to affiliate Frostbite Marketing, which provides local marketing, advertising, and promotion for the shop (FDD Items 6 and 11). If you want to do additional local marketing, you may use only plans and materials Polar Tint has approved in writing (FDD Item 11).

Yes. Per FDD Item 15, the franchisee (and the franchisee's owners if signing as an entity) personally guarantee performance under the franchise agreement. Standard practice in the franchise industry. Talk to a franchise attorney before signing.

Franchise registration is a state-by-state requirement, and most states do not have one. Polar Tint is currently awarding franchises in 31 US states. Most of those states impose no franchise registration or notice requirement at all — a franchisor may offer there on FDD disclosure alone. Some of the 31 (including Florida, Texas, and Utah) require only a state filing or exemption notice rather than full registration.

Polar Tint does not currently offer franchises in the franchise registration states, which is why states such as California, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, and Minnesota show as coming-soon. The full list is on the territory map at /territory/. Open states appear in polar blue; coming-soon states appear in amber.

Strongly recommended. The FDD is a substantial legal document and the franchise agreement is multi-year and binding. Polar Tint won't sign on your behalf, won't talk you out of getting your own counsel, and the development team works productively with franchise-experienced attorneys.

The fee (FDD Item 6) covers Polar Tint's designated technology package: your local consumer website, marketing web portal, location email address, Google Workspace, accounting software, device management software, digital display software, and plotter and plotter-cutting software. Point-of-sale hardware, a computer, required software license fees, and hardware repair and replacement are separate franchisee costs disclosed in FDD Item 11. Polar Tint may change the fee on 30 days' written notice.

No. The Franchise Agreement requires you to use the point-of-sale and management systems Polar Tint designates, and you cannot substitute another system (FDD Item 11; Franchise Agreement Section 3.5). Point-of-sale hardware and a computer are a separate purchase, disclosed in FDD Item 11.

Yes, with Polar Tint's prior written consent and subject to the transfer conditions in FDD Item 17, including the buyer completing Polar Tint's initial training at the buyer's expense and payment of the transfer fee disclosed in FDD Item 6. Polar Tint also has a right of first refusal to match any offer to buy your franchised business (FDD Item 17).

You can renew only if you meet Polar Tint's conditions for renewal (FDD Item 17).

To renew, you must be in compliance with your franchise agreement, give written notice 90 to 180 days before the term ends, sign Polar Tint's then-current form of franchise agreement, which may contain materially different terms, sign a general release, pay the renewal fee disclosed in FDD Item 6, and meet the other renewal requirements in the Franchise Agreement. Polar Tint began franchising in 2025, so no franchisee has yet reached a renewal point.

If you do not renew, your obligations on non-renewal are set out in FDD Item 17.

Financial performance representations are disclosed in FDD Item 19, which covers the two affiliate-owned Las Vegas-area shops. Polar Tint makes no financial performance representation outside the FDD. The initial investment is disclosed in FDD Item 7 and the ongoing fees in FDD Item 6; review the full FDD with your own accountant.

FDD Item 16 requires you to offer and sell all the Approved Services and Products Polar Tint specifies, so plan to open ready to offer all six lines: window tint, residential film, commercial film, ceramic coating, paint protection film (PPF), and vehicle wraps.

• Initial training is 65 hours — 40 classroom plus 25 on-the-job — on the subjects FDD Item 11 lists, and it is completed before you open.
• Affiliated manufacturer Glacier Manufacturing supplies window tint and paint protection training and related training materials with the opening inventory (FDD Item 5).
• Polar Tint does not represent a demand pattern for any service line in your territory.